The Fate of the Colony at La Navidad

8/8/2019 The Fate of the Colony at La Navidad

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The Fate of the Colony at La Navidadhttp://books.caribseek.com/Caribbean/The_Life_of_Christopher_Columbus/search-for-gold-chapter9.shtml

They stopped two days at a harbor which they called Monte Christi, to see if it were a suitable place for a town, for theAdmiral did not feel altogether satisfied with the place where the settlement of La Navidad had been made on the firstvoyage. This Monte Christi was near "a great river of very good water" (the Santiago). But it is all an inundated region,and very unfit to live in."As they were going along, viewing the river and land, some of our men found, in a place close by the river, two deadmen, one with: a cord (lazo) around his neck, and the other with one around his foot. This was the first day. On the nextday following, they found two other dead men farther on than these others. One of these was in such a position that it

could be known that he had a plentiful beard. Some of our men suspected more ill than good, and with reason, as theIndians are all beardless, as I have said."This port was not far from the port where the Spanish settlement had been made on the first voyage, so that there wasgreat reason for these anxieties. They set sail once more for the settlement, and arrived opposite the harbor of LaNavidad on the twenty-seventh of November. As they were approaching the harbor, a canoe came towards them, withfive or six Indians on board, but, as the Admiral kept on his course without waiting for them, they went back.The Spaniards arrived outside the port of La Navidad so late that they did not dare to enter it that night. "The Admiralcommanded two Lombards to be fired, to see if the christians replied, who had been left with the said Guacanagari, (thiswas the friendly cacique Guacanagari of the first voyage), for they too had Lombards," "They never replied, nor did firesnor signs of houses appear in that place, at which the people were much discouraged, and they had the suspicion thatwas natural in such a case.""Being thus all very sad, when four or five hours of the night had passed, there came the same canoe which they hadseen the evening before. The Indians in it asked for the Admiral and the captain of one of the caravels of the first

voyage. They were taken to the Admiral's ship, but would not come on board until they had "spoken with him and seenhim." They asked for a light, and as soon as they knew him, they entered the ship. They came from Guacanagari, andone of them was his cousin.They brought with them golden masks, one for the Admiral and another for one of the captains who had been with himon the first voyage, probably Vicente Yanez Pinzon. Such masks were much valued among the Indians, and are thoughtto have been meant to put upon idols, so that they were given to the Spaniards as tokens of great respect. The Indianparty remained on board for three hours, conversing with the Admiral and apparently very glad to see him again. Whenthey were asked about the colonists of La Navidad, they said that they were all well, but that some of them had diedfrom sickness, and that others had been killed in quarrels among themselves. Their own cacique, Guacanagari, hadbeen attacked by two other chiefs, Caonabo and Mayreni. They had burned his village, and he had been wounded in theleg, so that he could not come to meet the Spaniards that night. As the Indians went away, however, they promised thatthey would bring him to visit them the next day. So the explorers remained "consoled for that night."Next day, however, events were less reassuring. None of last night's party came back and nothing was seen of the

cacique. The Spaniards, however, thought that the Indians might have been accidentally overturned in their canoe, as itwas a small one, and as wine had been given them several times during their visit.While he was still waiting for them, the Admiral sent some of his men to the place where La Navidad had stood. Theyfound that the strong fort with a palisade was burned down and demolished. They also found some cloaks and otherclothes which had been carried off by the Indians, who seemed uneasy, and at first would not come near the party."This did not appear well" to the Spaniards, as the Admiral had told them how many canoes had come out to visit him inthat very place on the other voyage. They tried to make friends, however, threw out to them some bells, beads and otherpresents, and finally a relation of the cacique and three others ventured to the boat, and were taken on board ship.These men frankly admitted that the "christians" were all dead. The Spaniards had been told so the night before by theirIndian interpreter, but they had refused to believe him. They were now told that the King of Canoaboa and the KingMayreni had killed them and burned the village."Canoaboa" was thought to mean "Land of Gold."They said, as the others had done, that Guacanagari was wounded in the thigh and they, like the others, said they wouldgo and summon him. The Spaniards made them some presents, and they, too, disappeared.Early the next morning the Admiral himself, with a party, including Dr. Chanca, went ashore."And we went where the town used to be, which we saw all burnt, and the clothes of the christians were found on thegrass there. At that time we saw no dead body. There were among us many different opinions, some suspecting thatGuacanagari himself was (concerned) in the betrayal or death of the christians, and to others it did not appear so, as histown was burnt, so that the thing was very doubtful."The Admiral directed the whole place to be searched for gold, as he had left orders that if any quantity of it were found, itshould be buried. While this search was being made, he and a few others went to look for a suitable place for a newsettlement. They arrived at a village of seven or eight houses, which the inhabitants deserted at once. Here they foundmany things belonging to the christians, such as stockings, pieces of cloth, and "a very pretty mantle which had notbeen unfolded since it was brought from Castile." These, the Spaniards thought, could not have been obtained bybarter. There was also one of the anchors of the ship which had gone ashore on the first voyage.


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When they returned to the site of La Navidad they found many Indians, who had become bold enough to come to bartergold. They had shown the place where the bodies of eleven Spaniards lay "covered already by the grass which hadgrown over them." They all "with one voice" said that Canoaboa and Mayreni had killed them. But as, at the same time,they complained that some of the christians had taken three Indian wives, and some four, it seemed likely that a justresentment on the part of the islanders had had something to do with their death.The next day the Admiral sent out a caravel to seek for a suitable place for a town, and he himself went out to look forone in a different direction. He found a secure harbor and a good place for a settlement, But he thought it too far fromthe place where he expected to find a gold mine. On his return, he found the caravel he had sent out. As it was coastingalong the island, a canoe had come out to it, with two Indians on board, one of whom was a brother of Guacanagari.This man begged the party to come and visit the cacique. The "principal men" accordingly went on shore, and found himin bed, apparently suffering from his wounded thigh, which he showed them in bandages. They judged fromappearances that he was telling them the truth.He said to them, "by signs as best be could," that since he was thus wounded, they were to invite the Admiral to come tovisit him. As they were going away, he gave each of them a golden jewel, as each "appeared to him to deserve it." "Thisgold," says Dr. Chanca, "is made in very delicate sheets, like our gold leaf, because they use it for making masks and toplate upon bitumen. They also wear it on the head and for earrings and nose-rings, and therefore they beat it very thinas they only wear it for its beauty and not for its value."The Admiral decided to go to the cacique on the next day. He was visited early in the day by his brother, who hurried onthe visit.The Admiral went on shore and all the best people (gente de pro) with him, handsomely dressed, as would be suitable ina capital city." They carried presents. with them, as they had already received gold from him."When we arrived, we found him lying in his bed, according to their custom, hanging in the air, the bed being made ofcotton like a net. He did not rise, but from the bed made a semblance of courtesy, as best he knew how. He showed

much feeling, with tears in his eyes, at the death of the christians, and began to talk of it, showing, as best he could, howsome died of sickness, and how others had gone to Canoaboa to seek for the gold mine, and that they had been killedthere, and how the others had been killed in their town."He presented to the Admiral some gold and precious stones. One of the accounts says that there were eight hundredbeads of a stone called ciba, one hundred of gold, a golden coronet, and three small calabashes filled with gold dust.Columbus, in return, made him a present."I and a navy surgeon were there," says Dr. Chanca. "The Admiral now said that we were learned in the infirmities ofmen, and asked if he would show us the wound. He replied that it pleased him to do so. I said that it would benecessary, if he could, for him to go out of the house, since with the multitudes of people it was dark, and we could notsee well. He did it immediately, as I believe, more from timidity than from choice. The surgeon came to him and began totake off the bandage. Then he said to the Admiral that the injury was caused by ciba, that is, by a stone. When it wasunbandaged we managed to examine it. It is certain that he was no more injured in that leg than in the other, althoughhe pretended that it was very painful."

The Spaniards did not know what to believe. But it seemed certain that an attack of some enemy upon these Indianshad taken place, and the Admiral determined to continue upon good terms with them. Nor did he change this policytoward Guacanagari. How far that chief had tried to prevent the massacre will never be known. The detail of the storywas never fully drawn from the natives. The Spaniards had been cruel and licentious in their dealing with the Indians.They had quarrelled among themselves, and the indignant natives, in revenge, had destroyed them all.

The New Colony

Columbus had hoped, with reason, to send back a part of the vessels which made up his large squadron, with goldcollected in the year by the colonists at La Navidad. In truth, when, in 1501, the system of gold-washing-had beendeveloped, the colony yielded twelve hundred pounds of gold in one year. The search for gold, from the beginning,broke up all intelligent plans for geographical discovery or for colonization. In this case, it was almost too clear that therewas nothing but bad news to send back to Spain. Columbus went forward, however, as well as he could, with theestablishment of a new colony, and with the search for gold.

Expeditions of Discovery

He sent out expeditions of discovery to open relations with the natives, and to find the best places for washing andmining for gold. Melchior Meldonado commanded three hundred men, in the first of these expeditions. They came to agood harbor at the mouth of a river, where they saw a fine house, which they supposed might be the home ofGuacanagari. They met an armed party of one hundred Indians; but these men put away their weapons when signals ofpeace were made, and brought presents in token of good-will.

Guacanagari


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The house to which they went was round, with a hemispherical roof or dome. It was thirty-two paces in diameter, dividedby wicker work into different rooms. Smaller houses, for persons of rank lower than the chiefs, surrounded it. Thenatives told the explorers that Guacanagari himself had retired to the hills.

Search for Gold

On receiving the report of these explorers Columbus sent out Ojeda with a hundred men, and Corvalan with a similarparty in different directions. These officers, in their report, described the operation of gold-washing, much as it is knownto explorers in mining regions to-day. The natives made a deep ditch into which the gold bearing sand should settle. Formore important work they had flat baskets in which they shook the sand and parted it from the gold. With the left hand

they dipped up sand, handled this skilfully or "dextrously" with the right hand, so that in a few minutes they could givegrains of gold to the gratified explorers. Ojeda brought home to Columbus one nugget which weighed nine ounces.They also brought tidings of the King of Canoaboa, of whom they had heard before, and he is called by the name ofCaunebo himself. He was afterwards carried, as a prisoner or as a hostage, on the way to Spain; but died on thepassage.The name is spelled in many different ways.Columbus was able to dispatch the returning ships, with the encouraging reports brought in by Meldonado and Ojeda,but with very little gold. But he was obliged to ask for fresh supplies of food for the colony--even in the midst of the plentywhich he described; for he had found already what all such leaders find, the difficulty of training men to use food towhich they were not accustomed. He sent also his Carib prisoners, begging that they might be trained to a knowledge ofthe christian religion and of the Spanish language. He saw, already, how much he should need interpreters. The fleetsailed on the second of February, and its reports were, on the whole, favorably received.Columbus chose for the new city an elevation, ten leagues east of Monte Christi, and at first gave to his colony the name

of Martha. It is the Isabella of the subsequent history.The colonists were delighted with the fertility of the soil under the tropical climate. Andalusia itself had not prepared themfor it. They planted seeds of peas, beans, lettuces, cabbages and other vegetables, and declared that they grew more ineight days than they would have grown in twenty at home. They had fresh vegetables in sixteen days after they plantedthem; but for melons, pumpkins and other fruits of that sort, they are generous enough to allow thirty days.They had carried out roots and suckers of the sugar-cane. In fifteen days the shoots were a cubit high. A farmer whohad planted wheat in the beginning of February had ripe grain in the beginning of April; so that they were sure of, atleast, two crops in a year.

Mutiny in the Colony

But the fertility of the soil was the only favorable token which the island first exhibited. The climate was enervating andsickly. The labor on the new city was hard and discouraging. Columbus found that his colonists were badly fitted for theirduty, or not fitted for it at all. Court gentlemen did not want to work. Priests expected to be put on better diet than any

other people. Columbus--though he lost his own popularity--insisted on putting all on equal fare, in sharing the supplieshe had brought from Spain. It did not require a long time to prove that the selection of the site of the colony wasunfortunate. Columbus himself gave way to the general disease. While he was ill, a mutiny broke out which he had tosuppress by strong measures.

The Vessels Sent Home

Bornal Diaz, who ranked as comptroller of the expedition, and Fermin Cedo, an assayer, made a plot for seizing theremaining ships and sailing for Europe. News of the mutiny was brought to Columbus. He found a document in thewriting of Diaz, drawn as a memorial, accusing Columbus himself of grave crimes. He confined Diaz on board a ship tobe sent to Spain with the memorial. He punished the mutineers of lower rank. He took the guns and naval munitionsfrom four of the vessels, and entrusted them all to a person in whom he had absolute confidence.

Columbus Marches InlandOn the report of the exploring parties, four names were given to as many divisions of the island. Junna was the mostwestern, Attibunia the most eastern, Jachen the northern and Naiba the southern. Columbus himself, seeing thefortifications of the city well begun, undertook, in March, an exploration, of the island, with a force of five hundred men.

Collection of Gold

It was in the course of this exploration that one of the natives brought in a gold-bearing stone which weighed an ounce.He was satisfied with a little bell in exchange. He was surprised at the wonder expressed by the Spaniards, and showinga stone as large as a pomegranate, he said that he had nuggets of gold as large as this at his home. Other Indiansbrought in gold-bearing stones which weighed more than an ounce. At their homes, also, but not in sight, alas, was ablock of gold as large as an infant's head.


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Fortress of St. Thomas

Columbus himself thought it best to take as many men as he could into the mountain region. He left the new city underthe care of his brother, Diego, and with all the force of healthy men which he could muster, making a little army of nearlyfive hundred men, he marched away from the sickly seaboard into the interior. The simple natives were astonished bythe display of cavalry and other men in armor. After a few days of a delightful march, in the beauty of spring in thatcountry, he entered upon the long sought Cibao. He relinquished his first idea of founding another city here, but did builda fortress called St. Thomas, in joking reference to Cedo and others, who had asserted that these regions produced nogold. While building this fortress, as it was proudly called, he sent a young cavalier named Luxan for further exploration.

A New Voyage of Discovery

Luxan returned with stories even greater than they had heard of before, but with no gold, "because he had no orders todo so." He had found ripe grapes. And at last they had found a region called Cipangi, cipan signifying stone. This namerecalled the memory of Cipango, or Japan. With tidings as encouraging as this, Columbus returned to his city. Heappointed his brother and Pedro Margarita governors of the city, and left with three ships for the further exploration ofCuba, which he had left only partly examined in his first voyage. He believed that it was the mainland of Asia. And ashas been said, such was his belief till he died, and that of his countrymen. Cuba was not known to be an island for manyyears afterwards. He was now again in the career which pleased him, and for which he was fitted. He was always ill atease in administering a colony, or ruling the men who were engaged in it. He was happy and contented when he wasdiscovering. He had been eager to follow the southern coast of Cuba, as he had followed the north in his first voyage.And now he had his opportunity. Having commissioned his brother Diego and Margarita and appointed also a council offour other gentlemen, he sailed to explore new coasts, on the twenty-fourth of April.

Jamaica Visited

He was soon tempted from his western course that he might examine Jamaica, of which he saw the distant lines on thesouth. "This island," says the account of the time, "is larger than Sicily. It has only one mountain, which rises from thecoast on every side, little by little, until you come to the middle of the island and the ascent is so gradual that, whetheryou rise or descend, you hardly know whether you are rising or descending." Columbus found the island well peopled,and from what he saw of the natives, thought them more ingenious, and better artificers, than any Indians he had seenbefore. But when he proposed to land, they generally showed themselves prepared to resist him. He therefore deferreda full examination of the island to his return, and, with the first favorable wind, pressed on toward the southern coast ofCuba. He insisted on calling this the "Golden Chersonesus" of the East. This name had been given by the oldgeographers to the peninsula now known as Malacca.

The South Shore of Cuba ExploredCrossing the narrow channel between Jamaica and Cuba, he began coasting that island westward. If the reader willexamine the map, he will find many small keys and islands south of Cuba, which, before any survey had been made,seriously retarded his westward course. In every case he was obliged to make a separate examination to be sure wherethe real coast of the island was, all the time believing it was the continent of Asia. One of the narratives says, with apardonable exaggeration, that in all this voyage he thus discovered seven hundred islands. His own estimate was thathe sailed two hundred and twenty-two leagues westward in the exploration which now engaged him.

Return

The month of May and the beginning of June were occupied with such explorations. The natives proved friendly, as thenatives of the northern side of Cuba had proved two years before. They had, in general, heard of the visit of theSpaniards ; but their wonder and admiration seem to have been none the less now that they saw the reality.

On one occasion the hopes of all the party, that they should find themselves at the court of the Grand Khan, weregreatly quickened. A Spaniard had gone into a forest alone, hunting. Suddenly he saw a man clothed in white, orthought he did, whom he supposed to be a friar of the order of Saint Mary de Mercedes, who was with the expedition.But, almost immediately, ten other friars dressed in the same costume, appeared, and then as many as thirty. TheSpaniard was frightened at the multiplication of their number, it hardly appears why, as they were all men of peace, orshould have been, whatever their number. He called out to his companions, and bade them escape. But the men inwhite called out to him, and waved their hands, as if to assure him that there was no danger. He did not trust them,however, but rushed back to the shore and the ship, as fast as he could, to report what he had seen to the Admiral.Here, at last, was reason for hope that they had found one of the Asiatic missions of the Church. Columbus at oncelanded a party, instructing them to go forty miles inland, if necessary, to find people. But this party found neither path norroadway, although the country was rich and fertile. Another party brought back rich bunches of grapes, and other nativefruits. But neither party saw any friars of the order of Saint Mary. And it is now supposed that the Spaniard saw apeaceful flock of white cranes. The traveller Humboldt describes one occasion, in which the town of Angostura was put


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to alarm by the appearance of a flock of cranes known as soldados, or "soldiers," which were, as people supposed, aband of Indians.In his interviews with the natives at one point and another, upon the coast, Columbus was delighted with their simplicity,their hospitality, and their kindly dealing with each other. On one occasion, when the Mass was celebrated, a largenumber of them were present, and joined in the service, as well as they could, with respect and devotion. An old man asmuch as eighty years old, as the Spaniards thought, brought to the Admiral a basket full of fruit, as a present. Then hesaid, by an interpreter:"We have heard how you have enveloped, by your power, all these countries, and how much afraid of you the peoplehave been. But I have to exhort you, and to tell you that there are two ways when men leave this body. One is dark anddismal; it is for those who have injured the race of men. The other is delightful and pleasant; it is for those who, whilealive, have loved peace and the repose of mankind. If, then, you remember that you are mortal, and what theseretributions are, you will do no harm to any one."Columbus told him in reply that he had known of the two roads after death, and that he was well pleased to find that thenatives of these lands knew of them; for he had not expected this. He said that the king and queen of Spain had senthim with the express mission of bringing these tidings to them. In particular, that he was charged with the duty ofpunishing the Caribs and all other men of impure life, and of rewarding and honoring all pure and innocent men. Thisstatement so delighted the old prophet that he was eager to accompany Columbus on a mission so noble, and it wasonly by the urgent entreaty of his wife and children that he stayed with them. He found it hard to believe that Columbuswas inferior in rank or command to any other sovereign.The beauty of the island and the hospitality of the natives, however, were not enough to dispose the crews to continuethis exploration further. They were all convinced that they were on the coast of Asia. Columbus did not mean thatafterwards any one should accuse him of abandoning the discovery of that coast too soon. Calling to their attention thedistance they had sailed, he sent round a written declaration for the signature of every person on the ships. Every man

and boy put his name to it. It expressed their certainty that they were on the cape which made the end of the easternIndies, and that any one who chose could proceed thence westward to Spain by land. This extraordinary declarationwas attested officially by a notary, and still exists.It was executed in a bay at the extreme southwestern corner of Cuba. It has been remarked by Munoz, that at thatmoment, in that place, a ship boy at the masthead could have looked over the group of low islands and seen the opensea, which would have shown that Cuba was an island.

Evangelista Discovered

The facts, which were controlling, were these, that the vessels were leaky and the crews sick and discontented. On thethirteenth of June, Columbus stood to the southeast. He discovered the island now known as the Island of Pines. Hecalled it Evangelista. He anchored here and took in water. In an interview, not unlike that described, in which the oldCuban expressed his desire to return with Columbus, it is said that an Evangelistan chief made the same offer, but waswithheld by the remonstrances, of his wife and children. A similar incident is reported in the visit to Jamaica, which soon

followed. Columbus made a careful examination of that island. Then he crossed to Hispaniola, where, from the Indians,he received such accounts from the new town of Isabella as assured him that all was well there.

Columbus Falls Sick

With his own indomitable zeal, he determined now to go to the Carib islands and administer to them the vengeance hehad ready. But his own frame was not strong enough for his will. He sank exhausted, in a sort of lethargy. The officers ofhis ship, supposing he was dying, put about the vessels and the little squadron arrived, none too soon as it proved, atIsabella.

Return to Isabella

He was as resolute as ever in his determination to crush the Caribs, and prevent their incursions upon those innocentislanders to whom he had made so many promises of protection. But he fell ill, and for a short time at least was whollyunconscious. The officers in command took occasion of his illness, and of their right to manage the vessels, to turn backto the city of Isabella. He arrived there "as one half dead," and his explorations and discoveries for this voyage werethus brought to an end. To his great delight he found there his brother Bartholomew, whom he had not seen for eightyears. Bartholomew had accompanied Diaz in the famous voyage in which he discovered the Cape of Good Hope.Returning to Europe in 1488 he had gone to England, with a message from Christopher Columbus, asking King Henrythe Seventh to interest himself in the great adventure he proposed.The authorities differ as to the reception which Henry gave to this great proposal. Up to the present time, no notice hasbeen found of his visit in the English archives. The earliest notice of America, in the papers preserved there, is a note ofa present of ten pounds "to hym that found the new land," who was Cabot, after his first voyage. Bartholomew Columbuswas in England on the tenth of February, 1488; how much later is not known. Returning from England he staid inFrance, in the service of Madama de Bourbon. This was either Anne of Beaujeu, or the widow of the Admiral Louis deBourbon. Bartholomew was living in Paris when he heard of his brother's great discovery.


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He had now been appointed by the Spanish sovereigns to command a fleet of three vessels, which had been sent out toprovision the new colony. He had sailed from Cadiz on the thirtieth of April, 1494, and he arrived at Isabella on St.John's Day of the same year.Columbus welcomed him with delight, and immediately made him his first-lieutenant in command of the colony. Thereneeded a strong hand for the management of the colony, for the quarrels which had existed before Columbus went onhis Cuban voyage had not diminished in his absence. Pedro Margarita and Father Boil are spoken of as those who hadmade the most trouble. They had come determined to make a fortune rapidly, and they did not propose to give up sucha hope to the slow processes of ordinary colonization. Columbus knew very well that those who had returned to Spainhad carried with them complaints as to his own course. He would have been glad on some accounts to return, himself,at once; but he did not think that the natives of the islands were sufficiently under the power of the new colony to be leftin safety.First of all he sent back four caravels, which had recently arrived from Europe, with five hundred Indians whom he hadtaken as slaves. He consigned them to Juan de Fonseca's care. He was eager himself to say that he sent them out thatthey might be converted, to Christianity, and that they might learn the Spanish language and be of use as interpreters.But, at the same time, he pointed out how easy it would be to make a source of revenue to the Crown from suchinvoluntary emigration. To Isabella's credit it is to be said, that she protested against the whole thing immediately; andso far as appears, no further shipments were made in exactly the same way. But these poor wretches were not sentback to the islands, as she perhaps thought they were. Fonseca did not hesitate to sell them, or apprentice them, to useour modern phrase, and it is said by Bernaldez that they all died. His bitter phrase is that Fonseca took no more care ofthem than if they had been wild animals.Columbus did not recover his health, so as to take a very active part in affairs for five months after his arrival at SanDomingo. He was well aware that the Indians were vigorously organized, with the intention of driving his people from theisland, or treating the colony as they had treated the colony of Navidad. He called the chief of the Cipangi, named

Guarionexius, for consultation. The interpreter Didacus, who had served them so faithfully, married the king's sister, andit was hoped that this would be a bond of amity between the two nations.Columbus sent Ojeda into the gold mountains with fifty armed men to make an alliance with Canabao. Canabao met thisparty with a good deal of perplexity. He undoubtedly knew that he had given the Spaniards good reason for doubtinghim. It is said that he had put to death twenty Spaniards by treasonable means, but it is to be remembered that this isthe statement of his enemies. He, however, came to Columbus with a large body of his people, all armed. When he wasasked why he brought so large a force with him, he said that so great a king as he, could not go anywhere without afitting military escort. But Ojeda did not hesitate to take him prisoner and carry him into Isabella, bound. As has beensaid, he was eventually sent to Spain, but he died on the passage.Columbus made another fortress, or tower, on the border of King Guarionexius's country, between his kingdom andCipango. He gave to this post the name of the "Tower of the Conception," and meant it to be a rallying point for theminers and others, in case of any uprising of the natives against them. This proved to be an important centre for miningoperations. From this place, what we should call a nugget of gold, which one of the chiefs brought in, was sent to Spain.

It weighed twenty ounces. A good deal of interest attached also to the discovery of amber, one mass of which weighedthree hundred pounds. Such discoveries renewed the interest and hope which had been excited in Spain by the firstaccounts of Hispaniola.Columbus satisfied himself that he left the island really subdued; and in this impression he was not mistaken. Certainthat his presence in Spain was needed, if he would maintain his own character against the attacks of the disaffectedSpaniards who had gone before him, he set sail on the Nina on the tenth of March, taking with him as a consort acaravel which had been built at Isabella. He did not arrive in Cadiz till the eleventh of June, having been absent fromSpain two years and nine months.His return to Spain at this time gave Isabella another opportunity to show the firmness of her character, and thedetermination to which alone belongs success.The excitement and popularity which attended the return from the first voyage had come to an end. Spain was in theperiod of reaction. The disappointment which naturally follows undue expectations and extravagant prophecies, was, inthis instance, confirmed by the return of discontented adventurers. Four hundred years have accustomed the world tothis reflex flow of disappointed colonists, unable or unwilling to work, who come back from a new land to say that itsresources have been exaggerated. In this case, where everything was measured by the standard of gold, it wascertainly true that the supply of gold received from the islands was very small as compared with the expenses of theexpedition which had been sent out.Five hundred Indians, who came to be taught the language, entering Spain as slaves, were but a poor return for theexpenses in which the nation, not to say individuals, had been involved. The people of Spain, therefore, so far as theycould show their feeling, were prejudiced against Columbus and those who surrounded him. They heard with incredulitythe accounts of Cuba which he gave, and were quite indifferent to the geographical theories by which he wanted toprove that it was a part of Asia. He believed that the rich mines, which he had really found in Hispaniola, were the sameas those of Ophir. But after five years of waiting, the Spanish public cared but little for such conjectures.As he arrived in Cadiz, he found three vessels, under Nino, about to sail with supplies. These were much needed, forthe relief of the preceding year, sent out in four vessels, had been lost by shipwreck. Columbus was able to add a letterof his own to the governor of Isabella, begging him to conform to the wishes expressed by the king and queen in the


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dispatches taken by Nino. He recommended diligence in exploring the new mines, and that a seaport should be foundedin their neighborhood. At the same time he received a gracious letter from the king and queen, congratulating him on hisreturn, and asking him to court as soon as he should recover from his fatigue.Columbus was encouraged by the tone of this letter. He had chosen to act as if he were in disgrace, and dressedhimself in humble garb, as if he were a Franciscan monk, wearing his beard as the brethren of those orders do. Perhapsthis was in fulfillment of one of those vows which, as we know, he frequently made in periods of despondency.He went to Burgos, where Ferdinand and Isabella were residing, and on the way made such a display of treasure as hehad done on the celebrated march to Barcelona. Canabao, the fierce cacique of Hispaniola, had died on the voyage, buthis brother and nephew still lived, and he took them to the king and queen, glittering on state occasions with goldenornaments. One chain of gold which the brother wore, is said to have been worth more than three thousand dollars ofour time. In the procession Columbus carried various masks and other images, made by the Indians in fantastic shapes,which attracted the curiosity which in all nations surrounds the idols of a foreign creed.The sovereigns received him cordially. No reference was made to the complaints of the adventurers who had returned.However the sovereigns may have been impressed by these, they were still confident in Columbus and in his merits,and do not seem to have wished to receive the partial accounts of his accusers. On his part, he pressed the importanceof a new expedition, in order that they might annex to their dominions the eastern part of Asia. He wanted for thispurpose eight ships. He was willing to leave two in the island of Hispaniola, and he hoped that he might have six for avoyage of discovery. The sovereigns assented readily to his proposal, and at the time probably intended to carry out hiswishes.But Spain had something else to do than to annex Asia or to discover America; and the fulfillment of the promises madeso cordially in 1496, was destined to await the exigencies of European war and diplomacy. In fact, he did not sail uponthe third expedition for nearly two years after his arrival in Cadiz.In the autumn of 1496, an order was given for a sum amounting to nearly a hundred thousand dollars of our time, for the

equipment of the promised squadron. At the same time Columbus was relieved from the necessity by which he wasbound in his original contract, to furnish at least one-eighth of the money necessary in any of these expeditions. Thisburden was becoming too heavy for him to bear. It was agreed, however, that in the event of any profit resulting to thecrown, he should be entitled to one-eighth of it for three ensuing years. This concession must be considered as anevidence that he was still in favor. At the end of three years both parties were to fall back upon the original contract.But these noble promises, which must have been so encouraging to him, could not be fulfilled, as it proved. For theexigencies of war, the particular money which was to be advanced to Columbus was used for the repair of a fortressupon the frontier. Instead of this, Columbus was to receive his money from the gold brought by Nino on his return. Alas,it proved that a report that he had returned with so much gold, meant that he had Indian prisoners, from the sale ofwhom he expected to realize this money. And poor Columbus was virtually consigned to building and fitting out his shipfrom the result of a slave-trade, which was condemned by Isabella, and which he knew was wretchedly unprofitable.A difficulty almost equally great resulted from the unpopularity of the expedition. People did not volunteer eagerly, asthey had done, the minds of men being poisoned by the reports of emigrants, who had gone out in high hope, and had

returned disappointed. It even became necessary to commute the sentences of criminals who had been sentenced tobanishment, so that they might be transported into the new settlements, where they were to work without pay. Eventhese expedients did not much hasten the progress of the expedition.Fonseca, the steady enemy of Columbus, was placed in command again at this time. The queen was overwhelmed withaffliction by the death of Prince Juan; and it seemed to Columbus and his friends that every petty difficulty was placed inthe way of preparation. When at length six vessels were fitted for sea, it was only after the wear and tear of constantopposition from officials in command; and the expedition, as it proved, was not what Columbus had hoped for, for hispurposes.On the thirtieth of May, however, in 1498, he was able to sail. As this was the period when the Catholic churchcelebrates the mystery of the Trinity, he determined and promised that the first land which he discovered should receivethat sacred name. He was well convinced of the existence of a continent farther south than the islands among which hehad cruised, and intended to strike that continent, as in fact he did, in the outset of his voyage.

Letter to the King and Queen

For the narrative of the third voyage, we are fortunate in having once more a contemporary account by Columbushimself. The more important part of his expedition was partly over when he was able to write a careful letter to the kingand queen, which is still preserved. It is lighted up by bursts of the religious enthusiasm which governed him from thebeginning. All the more does it show the character of the man, and it impresses upon us, what is never to be forgotten,the mixture in his motive of the enthusiasm of a discoverer, the eager religious feeling which might have quickened acrusader, and the prospects of what we should call business adventure, by which he tries to conciliate persons whoseviews are less exalted than his own.In addressing the king and queen, who are called "very high and very powerful princes," he reminds them that hisundertaking to discover the West Indies began in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which appointed him as a messengerfor this enterprise. He asks them to remember that he has always addressed them as with that intention.He reminds them of the seven or eight years in which he was urging his cause and that it was not enough that he shouldhave showed the religious side of it, that he was obliged to argue for the temporal view as well. But their decision, for


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which he praises them indirectly, was made, he says, in the face of the ridicule of all, excepting the two priests,Marcheza and the Archbishop of Segovia. "And everything will pass away excepting the word of God, who spoke soclearly of these lands by the voice of Isaiah in so many places, affirming that His name should be divulged to the nationsfrom Spain." He goes on in a review of the earlier voyages, and after this preface gives his account of the voyage of1498.They sailed from Santa Lucca the thirtieth of May, and went down to Madeira to avoid the hostile squadron of the Frenchwho were awaiting him at Cape St. Vincent. In the history by Herrara, of another generation, this squadron is said to bePortuguese. From Maderia, they passed to the Canary Islands, from which, with one ship and two caravels, he makeshis voyage, sending the other three vessels to Hispaiola. After making the Cape de Verde Islands, he sailed southwest.He had very hot weather for eight days, and in the hope of finding cooler weather changed his course to the westward.

Discovery of Trinidad and Paria

On the thirty-first of July, they made land, which proved to be the cape now known as Galeota, the southeastern cape ofthe island of Trinidad. The country was as green at this season as the orchards of Valencia in March. Passing fiveleagues farther on, he lands to refit his vessels and take on board wood and water. The next day a large canoe from theeast, with twenty-four men, well armed, appeared.The Admiral wished to communicate with them, but they refused, although he showed them basins and other thingswhich he thought would attract them. Failing in this effort, he directed some of the boys of the crew to dance and play atambourine on the poop of the ship. But this conciliatory measure had as little success as the other. The natives strungtheir bows, took up their shields and began to shoot the dancers. Columbus stopped the entertainment, therefore, andordered some balls shot at them, upon which they left him. With the other vessel they opened more friendlycommunication, but when the pilot went to Columbus and asked leave to land with them, they went off, nor were any ofthem or theirs seen again.

On his arrival at Punta de Icacocos, at the southern point of Trinidad, he observes the very strong currents which arealways noticed by voyagers, running with as much fury as the Guadalquiver in time of flood. In the night a terrible wavecame from the south, "a hill as high as a ship," so that even in writing of it he feels fear. But no misfortune came from it.Sailing the next day, he found the water comparatively fresh. He is, in fact, in the current produced by the great riverOrinoco, which affects, in a remarkable way, all the tide-flow of those seas. Sailing north, he passes different points ofthe Island of Trinidad, and makes out the Punta de la Pena and the mainland. He still observes the freshness of thewater and the severity of the currents.As he sails farther westward, he observes fleets, and he sends his people ashore. They find no inhabitants at first, buteventually meet people who tell him the enemy of this country is Paria. Of these he took on board four. The king senthim an invitation to land, and numbers of the people came in canoes, many of whom wore gold and pearls. These pearlscame to them from the north. Columbus did not venture to land here because the provisions of his vessels were alreadyfailing him.He describes the people, as of much the same color as those who have been observed before, and were ready for

intercourse, and of good appearance. Two prominent persons came to meet them, whom he thought to be father andson. The house to which the Spaniards were led was large, with many seats. An entertainment was brought forward, inwhich there were many sorts of fruits, and wine of many kinds. It was not made from grapes, however, and he supposedit must be made of different sorts of fruits.A part of the entertainment was of maize, "which is a sort of corn which grows here, with a spike like a spindle." TheIndians and their guests parted with regret that they could not understand each other's conversation. All this passed inthe house of the elder Indian. The younger then took them to his house, where a similar collation was served, and theythen returned to the ship, Columbus being in haste to press on, both on account of his want of supplies and the failure ofhis own health. He says he was still suffering from diseases which he had contracted on the last voyage, and withblindness. "That then his eyes did not give him as much pain, nor were they bloodshot as much as they are now."He describes the people whom they at first visited as of fine stature, easy bearing, with long straight hair, and wearingworked handkerchiefs on their heads. At a little distance it seemed as if these were made of silk, like the gauze veil withwhich the Spaniards were familiar, from Moorish usage.

"Others," he says, "wore larger handkerchiefs round their waists, like the panete of the Spaniards." By this phrase hemeans a full garment hanging over the knees, either trousers or petticoats. These people were whiter in color than theIndians he had seen before. They all wore something at the neck and arms, with many pieces of gold at the neck. Thecanoes were much larger than he had seen, better in build and lighter; they had a cabin in the middle for the princes andtheir women.He made many inquiries for gold, but was told he must go farther on, but he was advised not to go there, because hismen would be in danger of being eaten. At first, Columbus supposed that this meant that the inhabitants of the gold-bearing countries were cannibals, but he satisfied himself afterwards that the natives meant that they would be eaten bybeasts. With regard to pearls, also, he got some information that he should find them when he had gone farther westand farther north.After these agreeable courtesies, the little fleet raised its anchors and sailed west. Columbus sent one caravel toinvestigate the river. Finding that he should not succeed in that direction, and that he had no available way either north


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or south, he leaves by the same entrance by which he had entered. The water is still very fresh, and he is satisfied,correctly as we know, that these currents were caused by the entrance of the great river of water.On the thirteenth of August he leaves the island by what he calls the northern mouth of the river [Boca Grande], andbegins to strike salt water again.

Curious Speculation as to the Earthly Paradise

At this part of Columbus's letter there is a very curious discussion of temperature, which shows that this carefulobserver, even at that time, made out the difference between what are called isothermal curves and the curves oflatitude. He observes that he cannot make any estimate of what his temperature will be on the American coast fromwhat he has observed on the coast of Africa.He begins now to doubt whether the world is spherical, and is disposed to believe that it is shaped like a pear, and hetries to make a theory of the difference of temperature from this suggestion. We hardly need to follow this now. We knowhe was entirely wrong in his conjecture. "Pliny and others," he says, "thought the world spherical, because on their partof it it was a hemisphere." They were ignorant of the section over which he was sailing, which he considers to be that ofa pear cut in the wrong way. His demonstration is, that in similar latitudes to the eastward it is very hot and the peopleare black, while at Trinidad or on the mainland it is comfortable and the people are a fine race of men, whiter than anyothers whom he has seen in the Indies. The sun in the constellation of the Virgin is over their heads, and all this comesfrom their being higher up, nearer the air than they would have been had they been on the African coast.With this curious speculation he unites some inferences from Scripture, and goes back to the account in the Book ofGenesis and concludes that the earthly Paradise was in the distant east. He says, however, that if he could go on, onthe equinoctial line, the air would grow more temperate, with greater changes in the stars and in the water. He does notthink it possible that anyone can go to the extreme height of the mountain where the earthly Paradise is to be found, forno one is to be permitted to enter there but by the will of God, but he believes that in this voyage he is approaching it.

Any reader who is interested in this curious speculation of Columbus should refer to the "Divina Comedia" of Dante,where Dante himself held a somewhat similar view, and describes his entrance into the terrestrial paradise under theguidance of Beatrice. It is a rather curious fact, which discoverers of the last three centuries have established, that thepoint, on this world, which is opposite the city of Jerusalem, where all these enthusiasts supposed the terrestrialParadise would be found, is in truth in the Pacific Ocean not far from Pitcairn's Island, in the very region where so manyvoyagers have thought that they found the climate and soil which to the terrestrial Paradise belong.Columbus expresses his dissent from the recent theory, which was that of Dante, supposing that the earthly Paradisewas at the top of a sharp mountain. On the other hand, he supposes that this mountain rises gently, but yet that noperson can go to the top.This is his curious "excursion," made, perhaps, because Columbus had the time to write it.The journal now recurs to more earthly affairs. Passing out from the mouth of the "Dragon," he found the sea runningwestward and the wind gentle. He notices that the waters are swept westward as the trade winds are. In this way heaccounts for there being so many islands in that part of the earth, the mainland having been eaten away by the constant

flow of the waves. He thinks their very shape indicates this, they being narrow from north to south and longer from eastto west. Although some of the islands differ in this, special reasons maybe given for the difference. He brings in many ofthe old authorities to show, what we now know to be entirely false, that there is much more land than water on thesurface of the globe.All this curious speculation as to the make-up of the world encourages him to beg their Highnesses to go on with thenoble work which they have begun. He explains to them that he plants the cross on every cape and proclaims thesovereignty of their Majesties and of the Christian religion. He prays that this may continue. The only objection to it is theexpense, but Columbus begs their Highnesses to remember how much more money is spent for the mere formalities ofthe elegancies of the court. He begs them to consider the credit attaching to plans of discovery and quickens theirambition by reference to the efforts of the princes of Portugal.This letter closes by the expression of his determination to go on with his three ships for further discoveries.This letter was written from San Domingo on the eighth of October. He had already made the great discovery of themainland of South America, though he did not yet know that he had touched the continent. He had intentionally gone

farther south than before, and had therefore struck the island of Trinidad, to which, as he had promised, he gave thename which it still bears. A sailor first saw the summits of three mountains, and gave the cry of land. As the shipsapproached, it was seen that these three mountains were united at the base. Columbus was delighted by the omen, ashe regarded it, which thus connected his discovery with the vow which he had made on Trinity Sunday.As the reader has seen, he first passed between this great island and the mainland. The open gulf there described isnow known as the Gulf of Paria. The observation which he made as to the freshness of the water caused by the flow ofthe Orinoco, has been made by all navigators since. It may be said that he was then really in the mouth of the Orinoco.Young readers, at least, will be specially interested to remember that it was in this region that Robinson Crusoe's islandwas placed by Defoe; and if they will carefully read his life they will find discussions there of the flow of the "great RiverOrinoco." Crossing this gulf, Columbus had touched upon the coast of Paria, and thus became the first discoverer ofSouth America. It is determined, by careful geographers, that the discovery of the continent of North America, had beenmade before this time by the Cabots, sailing under the orders of England.


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Columbus was greatly encouraged by the discovery of fine pearls among the natives of Paria. Here he found one moreproof that he was on the eastern coast of Asia, from which coast pearls had been brought by the caravans on which, tillnow, Europe had depended for its Asiatic supplies. He gave the name "Gulf of Pearls" to the estuary which makes themouth of the River Paria.

Arrival at San Domingo

He would gladly have spent more time in exploring this region; but the sea-stores of his vessel were exhausted, he wassuffering from a difficulty with his eyes, caused by overwatching, and was also cripple from gout. He resisted thetemptation, therefore, to make further explorations on the coast of Paria, and passed westward and northwestward. Hemade many discoveries of islands in the Caribbean Sea as he went northwest, and he arrived at the colony of SanDomingo, on the thirtieth of August. He had hoped for rest after his difficult voyage; but he found the island in confusionwhich seemed hopeless.His brother Bartholomew, from all the accounts we have, would seem to have administered its affairs with justice anddecision; but the problem he had in hand was one which could not be solved so as to satisfy all the critics. Close aroundhim he had a body of adventurers, almost all of whom were nothing but adventurers. With the help of these adventurers,he had to repress Indian hostilities, and to keep in order the natives who had been insulted and injured in everyconceivable way by the settlers.

Rebellions and Mutinies in that Island

He was expected to send home gold to Spain with every vessel; he knew perfectly well that Spain was clamoring withindignation because he did not succeed in doing so. But on the island itself he had to meet, from day to day,conspiracies of Spaniards and what are called insurrections of natives. These insurrections consisted simply in theirassertion of such rights as they had to the beautiful land which the Spaniards were taking away from them.

At the moment when Columbus landed, there was an instant of tranquility. But the natives, whom he remembered onlysix years ago as so happy and cheerful and hospitable, had fled as far as they could. They showed in every way theirdistrust of those who were trying to become their masters. On the other hand, soldiers and emigrants were eager toleave the island if they could. They were near starvation, or if they did not starve they were using food to which theywere not accustomed. The eagerness with which, in 1493, men had wished to rush to this land of promise, wassucceeded by an equal eagerness, in 1498, to go home from it.As soon as he arrived, Columbus issued a proclamation, approving of the measures of his brother in his absence, anddenouncing the rebels with whom Bartholomew had been contending. He found the difficulties which surrounded himwere of the most serious character. He had not force enough to take up arms against the rebels of different names. Heoffered pardon to them in the name of the sovereigns, and that they refused.

Roldan and His Followers

Columbus was obliged, in order to maintain any show of authority, to propose to the sovereigns that they should

arbitrate between his brother and Roldan, who was the chief of the rebel party. He called to the minds of Ferdinand andIsabella his own eager desire to return to San Domingo sooner, and ascribed the difficulties which had arisen, in largemeasure, to his long delay. He said he should send home the more worthless men by every ship.He asked that preachers might be sent out to convert the Indians and to reform the dissolute Spaniards. He asked forofficers of revenue, and for a learned judge. He begged at the same time that, for two years longer, the colony might bepermitted to employ the Indians as slaves, but he promised they would only use such as they captured in war andinsurrections.By the same vessel the rebels sent out letters charging Columbus and his brother with the grossest oppression andinjustice. All these letters came to court by one messenger. Columbus was then left to manage as best he could, in themonths which must pass, before he could receive an answer.He was not wholly without success. That is to say, no actual battles took place between the parties before the answerreturned. But when it returned, it proved to be written by his worst enemy, Fonseca. It was a genuine Spanish answer toa letter which required immediate decision. That is to say, Columbus was simply told that the whole matter must be left

in suspense till the sovereigns could make such an investigation as they wished. The hope, therefore, of some help fromhome was wholly disappointed.Roldan, the chief of the rebels, was encouraged by this news to take higher ground than even he had ventured onbefore. He now proposed that he should send fifteen of his company to Spain, also that those who remained should notonly be pardoned, but should have lands granted them; third, that a public proclamation should be made that all chargesagainst him had been false; and fourth, that he should hold the office of chief judge, which he had held before therebellion.Columbus was obliged to accede to terms as insolent as these, and the rebels even added a stipulation, that if heshould fail in fulfilling either of these articles, they might compel him to comply, by force or any other means. Thus washe hampered in the very position where, by the king's orders, and indeed, one would say, by the right of discovery, hewas the supreme master.

Ojeda and His Expedition


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For himself, he determined to return with Bartholomew to Spain, and he made some preparations to do so. But at thistime he learned, from the western part of the island, that four strange ships had arrived there. He could not feel that itwas safe to leave the colony in such a condition of latent rebellion as he knew it to be in; he wrote again to thesovereigns, and said directly that his capitulation with the rebels had been extorted by force, and that he did not considerthat the sovereigns, or that he himself, were bound by it. He pressed some of the requests which he had made before,and asked that his son Diego, who was no longer a boy, might be sent out to him.It proved that the ships which had arrived at the west of the island were under the command of Ojeda, who will beremembered as a bold cavalier in the adventures of the second voyage. Acting under a general permission which hadbeen given for private adventurers, Ojeda had brought out this squadron, and, when Columbus communicated with him,was engaged in cutting dye-woods and shipping slaves.Columbus sent Roldan, who had been the head of the rebels, to inquire on what ground he was there. Ojeda produced alicense signed by Fonseca, authorizing him to sail on a voyage of discovery. It proved that Columbus's letters describingthe pearls of Paria had awakened curiosity and enthusiasm, and, while the crown had passed them by so coldly, Ojedaand a body of adventurers had obtained a license and had fitted out four ships for adventure. The special interest of thisvoyage for us, is that it is supposed that Vespucci, a Florentine merchant, made at this time his first expedition toAmerica.Vespucci was not a professional seaman, but he was interested in geography, and had made many voyages before thistime. So soon as it was announced that Ojeda was on the coast, the rebels of San Domingo selected him as a newleader. He announced to Columbus, rather coolly, that he could probably redress the grievances which these men had.He undoubtedly knew that he had the protection of Fonseca at home. Fortunately for Columbus, Roldan did not mean togive up his place as "leader of the opposition;" and it may be said that the difficulty between the two was a certainadvantage to Columbus in maintaining his authority.

Arrival of BobadillaMeanwhile, all wishes on his part to continue his discoveries were futile, while he was engaged in the almost hopelessduty of reconciling various adventurers and conciliating people who had no interests but their own. In Spain, his enemieswere doing everything in their power to undermine his reputation. His statements were read more and more coldly, andat last, on the twenty-first and twenty-sixth of May, 1499, letters were written to him instructing him to deliver into thehands of Bobadilla, a new commandant, all the fortresses any ships, houses and other royal property which he held, andto give faith and obedience to any instructions given by Bobadilla. That is to say, Bobadilla was sent out as acommander who was to take precedence of every one on the spot. He was an officer of the royal household, probably afavorite at court, and was selected for the difficult task of reconciling all difficulties, and bringing the new colony into loyalallegiance to the crown. He sailed for San Domingo in the middle of July, 1500, and arrived on the twenty-third ofAugust.On his arrival, he found that Columbus and his brother Bartholomew were both absent from the city, being in factengaged in efforts to set what may be called the provinces in order. The young Diego Columbus was commander in

their absence. The morning after he arrived, Bobadilla attended mass, and then, with the people assembled around thedoor of the church, he directed that his commission should be read. He was to investigate the rebellion, he was to seizethe persons of delinquents and punish them with rigor, and he was to command the Admiral to assist him in theseduties.He then bade Diego surrender to him certain prisoners, and ordered that their accusers should appear before him. Tothis Diego replied that his brother held superior powers to any which Bobadilla could possess; he asked for a copy of thecommission, which was declined, until Columbus himself should arrive. Bobadilla then took the oath of office, andproduced, for the first time, the order which has been described above, ordering Columbus to deliver up all the royalproperty. He won the popular favor by reading an order which directed him to pay all arrears of wages due to all personsin the royal service.

Columbus a Prisoner

But when he came before the fortress, he found that the commander declined to surrender it. He said he held the

fortress for the king by the command of the Admiral, and would not deliver it until he should arrive. Bobadilla, however,"assailed the portal;" that is to say, he broke open the gate. No one offered any opposition, and the commander and hisfirst-lieutenant were taken prisoners. He went farther, taking up his residence in Columbus's house, and seizing hispapers. So soon as Columbus received account of Bobadilla's arrival, he wrote to him in careful terms, welcoming him tothe island. He cautioned him against precipitate measures, told him that he himself was on the point of going to Spain,and that he would soon leave him in command, with everything explained. Bobadilla gave no answer to these letters;and when Columbus received from the sovereigns the letter of the twenty-sixth of May, he made no longer anyhesitation, but reported in person at the city of San Domingo.He traveled without guards or retinue, but Bobadilla had made hostile preparations, as if Columbus meant to come withmilitary force. Columbus preferred to show his own loyalty to the crown and to remove suspicion. But no sooner did hearrive in the city than Bobadilla gave orders that he should be put in irons and confined in the fortress. Up to thismoment, Bobadilla had been sustained by the popular favor of those around him; but the indignity, of placing chainsupon Columbus, seems to have made a change in the fickle impressions of the little town.


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Columbus, himself, behaved with magnanimity, and made no complaint. Bobadilla asked him to bid his brother return toSan Domingo, and he complied. He begged his brother to submit to the authority of the sovereigns, and Bartholomewimmediately did so. On his arrival in San Domingo he was also put in irons, as his brother Diego had been, and wasconfined on board a caravel. As soon as a set of charges could be made up to send to Spain with Columbus, thevessels, with the prisoners, set sail.The master of the caravel, Martin, was profoundly grieved by the severe treatment to which the great navigator wassubjected. He would gladly have taken off his irons, but Columbus would not consent. "I was commanded by the kingand queen," he said, "to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order in their name. He has put these chains on me bytheir authority. I will wear them until the king and queen bid me take them off. I will preserve them afterwards as relicsand memorials of the reward of my services." His son, Fernando, who tells this story, says that he did so, that they werealways hanging in his cabinet, and that he asked that they might be buried with him when he died.From this expression of Fernando Columbus, there has arisen, what Mr. Harrisse calls, a "pure legend," that the chainswere placed in the coffin of Columbus. Mr. Harrisse shows good reason for thinking that this was not so. "Althoughdisposed to believe that, in a moment of just indignation, Columbus expressed the wish that these tokens of theingratitude of which he had been the victim should be buried, with him, I do not believe that they were ever placed in hiscoffin."It will thus be seen that the third voyage added to the knowledge of the civilized world the information which Columbushad gained regarding Paria and the island of Trinidad. For other purposes of discovery, it was fruitless.

A Cordial Reception in Spain

Columbus was right in insisting on wearing his chains. They became rather an ornament than a disgrace. So soon as itwas announced in Spain that the great discoverer had been so treated by Bobadilla, a wave of popular indignationswept through the people and reached the court. Ferdinand and Isabella, themselves, had never intended to give such

powers to their favorite, that he should disgrace a man so much his superior.They instantly sent orders to Cadiz that Columbus should be received with all honor. So soon as he arrived he had beenable to send, to Dona Juana de la Torre, a lady high in favor at court, a private letter, in which he made a proud defenseof himself. This letter is still preserved, and it is of the first interest, as showing his own character, and as showing whatwere the real hardships which he had undergone.

Columbus Favorably Received at Court

The Lady Juana read this letter to Isabella. Her own indignation, which probably had been kindled by the general newsthat Columbus had been chained, rose to the highest. She received him, therefore, when he arrived at court, with all themore cordiality. Ferdinand was either obliged to pretend to join with her in her indignation, or he had really felt distressedby the behavior of his subordinate.They did not wait for any documents from Bobadilla. As has been said, they wrote cordially to Columbus; they alsoordered that two thousand ducats should be paid him for his expenses, and they bade him appear at Grenada at court.

He did appear there on the seventeenth of December, attended by an honorable retinue, and in the proper costume of agentleman in favor with the king and queen.When the queen met him she was moved to tears, and Columbus, finding himself so kindly received, threw himself uponhis knees. For some time he could not express himself except by tears and sobs. His sovereigns raised him from theground and encouraged him by gracious words.So soon as he recovered his self-possession he made such an address as he had occasion to make more than once inhis life, and showed the eloquence which is possible to a man of affairs. He could well boast of his loyalty to the Spanishcrown; and he might well say that, whether he were or were not experienced in government, he had been surrounded bysuch difficulties in administration as hardly any other man had had to go through. But really, it was hardly necessary thathe should vindicate himself.The stupidity of his enemies, had injured their cause more than any carelessness of Columbus could have done. Thesovereigns expressed their indignation at Bobadilla's proceedings, and, indeed, declared at once that he should bedismissed from command. They never took any public notice of the charges which he had sent home; on the other hand,

they received Columbus with dignity and favor, and assured him that he should be reinstated in all his privileges.The time at which he arrived was, in a certain sense, favorable for his future plans, so far as he had formed any. On theother hand, the condition of affairs was wholly changed from what it was when he began his great discoveries, and thechanges were in some degree unfavorable. Vasco da Gama had succeeded in the great enterprise by which he haddoubled the Cape of Good Hope, had arrived at the Indies by the route of the Indian ocean, and his squadron hadsuccessfully returned.

New Interest in Geographical Discovery

This great adventure, with the commercial and other results which would certainly follow it, had quickened the mind of allEurope, as the discovery by Columbus had quickened it eight years before. So far, any plan for the discoveries overwhich Columbus was always brooding, would be favorably received. But, on the other hand, in eight years since the firstvoyage, a large body of skillful adventurers had entered upon the career which then no one chose to share with him.


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The Pinzon brothers were among these; Ojeda, already known to the reader, was another; and Vespucci, as the readerknows, an intelligent and wise student, had engaged himself in such discoveries.The rumors of the voyages of the Cabots, much farther north than those made by Columbus, had gone through allEurope. In a word, Columbus was now only one of several skilful pilots and voyagers, and his plans were to beconsidered side by side with those which were coming forward almost every day, for new discoveries, either by theeastern route, of which Vasco da Gama had shown the practicability, or by the western route, which Columbus himselfhad first essayed.It is to be remembered, as well, that Columbus was now an old man, and, whatever were his successes as a discoverer,he had not succeeded as a commander. There might have been reasons for his failure; but failure is failure, and men donot accord to an unsuccessful leader the honors which they are ready to give to a successful discoverer. When,therefore, he offered his new plans at court, he should have been well aware that they could not be received, as if hewere the only one who could make suggestions. Probably he was aware of this. He was also obliged, whether he wouldor would not, to give up the idea that he was to be the commander of the regions which he discovered.It had been easy enough to grant him this command before there was so much as an inch of land known, over which itwould make him the master. But now that it was known that large islands, and probably a part of the continent of Asia,were to be submitted to his sway if he had it, there was every reason why the sovereigns should be unwilling to maintainfor him the broad rights which they had been willing to give when a scratch of the pen was all that was needful to givethem.Bobadilla was recalled; so far well. But neither Ferdinand nor Isabella chose to place Columbus again in his command.They did choose Don Nicola Ovando, a younger man, to take the place of Bobadilla, to send him home, and to take thecharge of the colony.From the colony itself, the worst accounts were received. If Columbus and his brother had failed, Bobadilla had failedmore disgracefully. Indeed, he had begun by the policy of King Log, as an improvement on the policy of King Stork. He

had favored all rebels, he had pardoned them, he had even paid them for the time which they had spent in rebellion; andthe natural result was utter disorder and license.It does not appear that he was a bad man; he was a man wholly unused to command; he was an imprudent man, andwas weak. He had compromised the crown by the easy terms on which he had rented and sold estates; he had beenobliged, in order to maintain the revenue, to work the natives with more severity than ever. He knew very well that thesystem, under which he was working could not last long. One of his maxims was, "Do the best with your time," and hewas constantly sacrificing future advantages for such present results as he could achieve.The Indians, who had been treated badly enough before, were worse treated now. And during his short administration, ifit may be called an administration,--during the time when he was nominally at the head of affairs--he was reducing theisland to lower and lower depths. He did succeed in obtaining a large product of gold, but the abuses of his governmentwere not atoned for by such remittances. Worst of all, the wrongs of the natives touched the sensitiveness of Isabella,and she was eager that his successor should be appointed, and should sail, to put an end to these calamities.The preparations which were made for Ovando's expedition, for the recall of Bobadilla, and for a reform, if it were

possible, in the administration of the colony, all set back any preparations for a new expedition of discovery on the partof Columbus. He was not forgotten; his accounts were to be examined and any deficiencies made up to him; he was toreceive the arrears of his revenue; he was permitted to have an agent who should see that he received his share in thefuture. To this agency he appointed Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal, and the sovereigns gave orders that this agent shouldbe treated with respect.Other preparations were made, so that Ovando might arrive with a strong reinforcement for the colony. He sailed withthirty ships, the size of these vessels ranging from one hundred and fifty Spanish toneles to one bark of twenty-five. Itwill be remembered that the Spanish tonele is larger by about ten per cent than our English ton. Twenty-five hundredpersons embarked as colonists in the vessels, and, for the first time, men took their families with them.Everything was done to give dignity to the appointment of Ovando, and it was hoped that by sending out families ofrespectable character, who were to be distributed in four towns, there might be a better basis given to the settlement.This measure had been insisted upon by Columbus.This fleet was put to sea on the thirteenth of February, 1502. It met, at the very outset, a terrible storm, and one hundredand twenty of the passengers were lost by the foundering of a ship. The impression was at first given in Spain that thewhole fleet had been lost; but this proved to be a mistake. The others assembled at the Canaries, and arrived in SanDomingo on the fifteenth of April.

His Plans for the Redemption of the Holy Sepulchre

Columbus himself never lost confidence in his own star. He was sure that he was divinely sent, and that his mission wasto open the way to the Indies, for the religious advancement of mankind. If Vasco de Gama had discovered a shorterway than men knew before, Christopher Columbus should discover one shorter still, and this discovery should tend tothe glory of God. It seemed to him that the simplest way in which he could make men understand this, was to show thatthe Holy Sepulchre might, now and thus, be recovered from the infidel.Far from urging geographical curiosity as an object, he proposed rather the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre. That is,there was to be a new and last crusade, and the money for this enterprise was to be furnished from the gold of thefarthest East. He was close at the door of this farthest East; and as has been said, he believed that Cuba was the Ophir


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of Solomon, and he supposed, that a very little farther voyaging would open all the treasures which Marco Polo haddescribed, and would bring the territory, which had made the Great Khan so rich, into the possession of the king ofSpain.He showed to Ferdinand and Isabella that, if they would once more let him go forward, on the adventure which had beenchecked untimely by the cruelty of Bobadilla, this time they would have wealth which would place them at the head ofthe Christian sovereigns of the world.

Preparations for a Fourth Expedition

While he was inactive at Seville, and the great squadron was being prepared which Ovando was to command, he wrotewhat is known as the "Book of Prophecies," in which he attempted to convince the Catholic kings of the necessity ofcarrying forward the enterprise which he proposed. He urged haste, because he believed the world was only to last ahundred and fifty-five years longer; and, with so much before them to be done, it was necessary that they should begin.He remembered an old vow that he had undertaken, that, within seven years of the time of his discovery, he wouldfurnish fifty thousand foot soldiers and five thousand horsemen for the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre. He now arrangedin order prophecies from the Holy Scripture, passages from the writings of the Fathers, and whatever else suggesteditself, mystical and hopeful, as to the success of an enterprise by which the new world could be used for the conversionof the Gentiles and for the improvement of the Christianity of the old world.He had the assistance of a Carthusian monk, who seems to have been skilled in literary work, and the two arrangedthese passages in order, illustrated them with poetry, and collected them into a manuscript volume which was sent tothe sovereigns.Columbus accompanied the Book of Prophecies with one of his own long letters, written with the utmost fervor. In thisletter he begins, as Peter the Hermit might do, by urging the sovereigns to set on foot a crusade. If they are tempted toconsider his advice extravagant, he asks them how his first scheme of discovery was treated. He shows that, as heaven

had chosen him to discover the new world, heaven has also chosen him to discover the Holy Sepulchre. God himselfhad opened his eyes that he might make the great discovery, which has reflected such honor upon them and theirs."If his hopes had been answered," says a Catholic writer, the modern question of holy places, which is the Gordian knotof the religious politics of the future, would have been solved long ago by the gold of the new world, or would have beencut by the sword of its discoverer. We should not have seen nations which are separated from the Roman communion,both Protestant and Pantheistic governments, coming audaciously into contest for privileges, which, by the rights of oldpossession, by the rights of martyrdom and chivalry, belong to the Holy Catholic Church, the Apostolic Church, theRoman Church, and after her to France, her oldest daughter."Columbus now supposed that the share of the western wealth which would belong to him would be sufficient for him toequip and arm a hundred thousand infantry and ten thousand horsemen.At the moment when the Christian hero made this pious calculation he had not enough of this revenue with which to buya cloak," This is the remark of the enthusiastic biographer from whom we have already quoted.It is not literally true, but it is true that Columbus was living in the most modest way at the time when he was pressing his

ambitious schemes upon the court. At the same time, he wrote a poem with which he undertook to press the same greatenterprise upon his readers. It was called "The End of Man," "Memorare novissima tua, et non peccabis in eternum."In his letter to the king and queen he says, "Animated as by a heavenly fire, I came to your Highnesses; all who heard ofmy enterprise mocked it; all the sciences I had acquired profited me as nothing; seven years did I pass in your royalcourt, disputing the case with persons of great authority and learned in all the arts, and in the end they decided that allwas vain. In your Highnesses alone remained faith and constancy. Who will doubt that this light was from the HolyScriptures, illumining you, as well as myself, with rays of marvellous brightness."It is probable that the king and queen were, to a certain extent, influenced by his enthusiasm. It is certain that they knewthat something was due to their reputation and to his success. By whatever motive led, they encouraged him with hopesthat he might be sent forward again, this time, not as commander of a colony, but as a discoverer. Discovery was indeedthe business which he understood, and to which alone he should ever have been commissioned.It is to be remembered that the language of crusaders was not then a matter of antiquity, and was not used as if italluded to bygone affairs. It was but a few years since the Saracens had been driven out of Spain, and all men regarded

them as being the enemies of Christianity and of Europe, who could not be neglected. More than this, Spain wasbeginning to receive very large and important revenues from the islands.It is said that the annual revenues from Hispaniola already amounted to twelve millions of our dollars. It was notunnatural that the king and queen, willing to throw off the disgrace which they had incurred from Bobadilla's cruelty,should not only send Ovando to replace him, but should, though in an humble fashion, give to Columbus an opportunityto show that his plans were not chimerical.

The Instructions Given for the Voyage

It seems a pity now that, after his third voyage, Columbus did not remain in Spain and enjoy, as an old man could, thehonors which he had earned and the respect which now waited upon him. Had this been so, the world would have beenspared the mortification which attends the thought that the old man to whom it owes so much suffered almost everythingin one last effort, failed in that effort, and died with the mortification of failure. But it is to be remembered that Columbuswas not a man to cultivate the love of leisure. He had no love of leisure to cultivate. His life had been an active one. He


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had attempted the solution of a certain problem which he had not solved, and every day of leisure, even every occasionof effort and every word of flattery, must have quickened in him new wishes to take the prize which seemed so near, andto achieve the possibility which had thus far eluded him.From time to time, therefore, he had addressed new memorials to the sovereigns proposing a new expedition; and atlast, by an instruction which is dated on the fourteenth of March, in the year 1502, a fourth voyage was set on foot at thecharge of the king and queen,--an instruction not to stop at Hispaniola, but, for the saving of time, to pass by that island.This is a graceful way of intimating to him that he is not to mix himself up with the rights and wrongs of the newsettlement.The letter goes on to say, that the sovereigns have communicated with the King of Portugal, and that they haveexplained to him that Columbus is pressing his discoveries at the west. and will not interfere with those of thePortuguese in the east. He is instructed to regard the Portuguese explorers as his friends, and to make no quarrel withthem. He is instructed to take with him his sons, Fernando and Diego. This is probably at his request.

He is to go to the Mainland of the Indies

The prime object of the instruction is still to strike the mainland of the Indies. All the instructions are, "You will make adirect voyage, if the weather does not prevent you, for discovering the islands and the mainland of the Indies in that partwhich belongs to us." He is to take possession of these islands and of this mainland, and to inform the sovereigns inregard to his discoveries, and the experience of former voyages has taught them that great care must be taken to avoidprivate speculation in "gold, silver, pearls, precious stones, spices and other things of different quality." For this purposespecial instructions are given.Of this voyage we have Columbus's own official account.There were four vessels, three of which were rated as caravels. The fourth was very small. The chief vessel wascommanded by Diego Tristan; the second, the Santiago, by Francisco de Porras; the third, the Viscaina (Biscayan), by

Bartholomew de Fiesco; and the little Gallician by Pedro de Torreros. None of these vessels, as the reader will see, wasever to return to Spain. From de Porras and his brother, Columbus and the expedition were to receive disastrous blows.It must be observed that he is once more in his proper position of a discoverer. He has no government or other chargeof colonies entrusted to him. His brother Bartholomew and his youngest son Fernando, sail with him.The little squadron sailed from the bay of Cadiz on the eleventh of May, 1502. They touched at Sicilla,--a little port onthe coast of Morocco,--to relieve its people, a Portuguese garrison, who had been besieged by the Moors. But findingthem out of danger, Columbus went at once to the Grand Canary island, and had a favorable passage.

A Short Passage

From the Grand Canary to the island which he calls "the first island of the Indies," and which he named Martinino, hisvoyage was only seventeen days long. This island was either the St. Lucia or the Martinique of today. Hence he passedto Dominica, and thence crossed to San Domingo, to make repairs, as he said. For, as has been said, he had beenespecially ordered not to interfere in the affairs of the settlement.

He did not disobey his orders. He says distinctly that he intended to pass along the southern shore of San Domingo, andthence take a departure for the continent. But he says, that his principal vessel sailed very ill--could not carry muchcanvas, and delayed the rest of the squadron. This weakness must have increased after the voyage across the ocean.For this reason he hoped to exchange it for another ship at San Domingo.

Ovando Forbids the Entrance of Columbus into Harbor Bobadilla's Squadron and Its Fate

But he did not enter the harbor. He sent a letter to Ovando, now the governor, and asked his permission. He added, tothe request he made, a statement that a tempest was at hand which he did not like to meet in the offing. Ovando,however, refused any permission to enter. He was, in fact, just dispatching a fleet to Spain, with Bobadilla, Columbus'sold enemy, whom Ovando had replaced in his turn.Columbus, in an eager wish to be of use, by a returning messenger begged Ovando to del

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The Fate of the Colony at La Navidad